Richardson Books

This is a well-written and accessible book for anyone who is interested in how energy policy can help to ensure both economic independence and security. Governor Richardson is well-versed in the subject from his experience in Congress, the Clinton administration, the UN, and as governor of New Mexico. I remember when the second Iraq War broke out during my time as a freshman at Boston University, the only way energy policy was discussed was in its role as fostering violence and greed, not as a tool for ensuring security. Governor Richardson takes a realistic approach that at the same time is driven by idealism.

Vicente Salazar

This book is critical to anyone concerned about energy policy, security and how we design our future. Richardson is one of our leading international statesmen who will likely continue playing a critical role in our government both here and abroad. He has taken bold action as a Governor and has a bold vision that no other politician could accomplish without his experience. I have worked for this man doing environmental regulations - he is the real deal. I loved the book and passed it out readily.

I bought the book for my father. He is from a small town and came into Wichita to visit me. We always go to the Barnes and Noble when he comes down. He found the book, but I talked him out of buying it because I knew on Amazon I could buy it for way less. Barnes and Nobles was 39.00 and Amazon, new, was 17.00. Thats a no brainer. When the book came in, I sent it to him. He was happy.

Can you believe this? Bill Richardson has written a truly exciting book. This is the book we've been waiting for - the one that takes us from the stage of awareness that Al Gore produced two years ago to the society that takes control of destiny and begins to live in global wealth, health and security.

Richardson begins by describing the existing current lag in leadership. America needs to reposition its image in the spirit that it has long held. Sacrifice and inspiration are essential to that image. With the image and presence of a compassionate America, nations will succeed in lifting themselves from tyranny, depression, illness and tragedy. We cannot afford to confuse our image as a people - that image that produces inspiration through compassion - with one that will overrun other nations to satisfy an addiction for oil.

Richardson will use the power of the markets to drive America to destiny. In the words of Richardson: "The power of markets is immense. That is one of the great lessons - besides democracy and human rights - that the United States has taught the world over the past two centuries. The market has the power not only to create individual prosperity and growth, as conceived by the great first-ever modern economist, Adam Smith, but also to achieve big things for society as a whole. If we manage the carbon markets sensibly, with strict limits, smart incentives, and practical oversight - as we manage the monetary supply via the Federal Reserve - we can see a market-based economy that actually works toward REDUCING pollution."

Along with markets, the government must play a role - one that will provide sophisticated, integrated, and compassionate policies. The goal of government is to keep the dynamic of a proper functioning market going. Government assists with competition and choice while representing all of the true interests of the citizens. Richardson describes strategies of jawboning, holding to principles, standing to commitments, and using the bully pulpit. Federal government will do well to learn from states and cities. A set of federal Climate Challenge block grants that reward innovation would be part of Richardson's program. Other goals adopted in New Mexico include energy efficiency, green building, renewable energy, green transportation, renewable fuels, incentives, and overarching climate change action.

Richardson has been described as the Democratic Libertarian. Much of what Richardson describes is a reformation and restoration of capitalist principles for a new century. Says Richardson, "All goods cost something to make, and it matters what gets calculated in the cost, whether it's raw materials, human rights, defending oil transportation routes, or damage to the environment that needs to be cleaned up. Until all those things are factored in, you don't really have the true cost." That makes sense to me. True Libertarian values are grounded in wise capitalist principles. However, until we've become free from cynicism, that is, until we've become perceptive enough to account for all values in the face of other prices, we cannot make honest dealings that are consistent with the true spirit of our capitalist enterprises. It's no wonder that Lee Iacocca likes this guy. Iacocca knows leadership, and Richardson brings it.

NM Governor Bill Richardson, having been US Secretary of Energy, Congressman, and UN Ambassador, shows in this excellent read that he has not only the experience to be credible on this critical issue, but also that he is ready to bring the change we so desperately need in our energy and environmental policy. His narrative, carefully thought through but easy to follow, has an inspiring quality. Governor Richardson is not an ideologue; he is a pragmatic idealist. My favorite President, Teddy Roosevelt, once said, "Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground," and Richardson has certainly done that.

We must do as much as we can as quickly as we can without devastating our economy (without a strong economy, it's hard to get anything else done, including energy initiatives), and it's clear to me that Bill Richardson knows how to do it and is committed to making it happen.

This hardcover textbook was required for a college course. Since I could purchase it new on Amazon for over $20 less than in the college bookstore and I wanted to get it as quickly as possible, I paid the extra $20 for overnight delivery. I received the book the next day, as promised. It was not packed with enough padding for a hardcover book, and therefore, was not totally protected from the apparant rough handling it went through during the shipping and handling process. I am a bit of a purist in that when I pay for a new book, I expect it to be in pristine condition. The inside of the book, which is the most important part, was in excellent shape and came with a very useful cd-rom. However, the corners of the cover were smashed/dented. I may be too fussy, but this is why I am giving it a rating of 4 stars instead of 5.

Arrived on time and in good condition.

I took this course as a part of staff development offered by GMU. This book is so much better than the one I learned from in college. There is so much more offered to the teacher in a very easy to follow format. There are plenty of examples at every grade level to satisfy anyone. I wouldn't be without this book. Thanks to Ms. Richardson,et al. for writing it and thanks to my school district for offering it. This book will stay with me forever. If you are having reading problems in your class then get this book and quit pulling your hair out.

As an assistant principal, I have been witness to the positive effects of the strategies in this book, both for teaschers and students. The strategies are practical and more importantly they work. Students get a much more in depth understanding of their reading if these strategies are used. I would recommend this book to anyone teaching or studying.

To quote the "official" reviewer, "She has experience teaching at the elementary, middle, high school and adult levels." Not sure if that means the author was a really good teacher (seems she moved around a lot) or not.

Much of the content in this text is/was of the "common sense" variety recognized by most experienced teachers. The main theme of the text centers on a "P A R" framework (Preparation, Assistance, Reflection) approach to reading/literacy; reminding this reviewer of the teacher's adage, "Tell them what you're going to tell them, TELL THEM, and tell them what you told them."

Younger teachers, however, may find the techniques to be new and useful to them. BUT (always a "but" - right?), many of the studies cited in this "latest edition" are 20 +/- years old (unreasonable for such a highly priced book).

I'm not sure that our "younger" teachers can afford this book, nor should they, for a work partly based on studies done at the time they were still in elementary school.

I didn't buy from Amazon. The book was not packaged well and was damaged in the mail.

The book was useful

"Roadside Geology of Indiana" is a field guide perfect for anyone who wishes to learn about Indiana's ancient past by getting out and exploring the countryside. There is no better way to experience geology than to get outside and get one's hands dirty, and this book allows just that by providing a field trip excursion across every part of the state. Provided are outcrop sites and quarries to visit as well as brief histories of mining towns and other historical trivia related to Indiana's bedrock geology. Divided into routes along individual roadways, this book is a well-organized adventure from the Ordovician bedrock of southeastern Indiana through the Pleistocene glacial features that characterize the north. Need to pass through Indiana but want to learn something along the way? This book is perfect for Sunday evening drives or holiday layovers. So get out there and enjoy!

As someone living in Indiana, I appreciate this book as an excellent introduction to Indiana geology. While much of the treatment is superficial, it covers a lot of ground and there isn't time to go into everything at much depth. It also provides substantial insight into historical use of surface and subsurface geological resources in the Hoosier state, and as such gives a taste of lifestyles over the last 150 years. Highly recommended.

This is definitely one of the better books in this series (I own most of them). If you, like me, have always regarded Indiana as a place you have to drive through, you'll be as surprised as I to discover just how much interesting geology there is. It's a good read besides.

Another great Roadside Geology work, this time better than most. Who would have thought that Indiana geology could come alive like this? The book is so well illustrated with maps, photographs and drawings that it is fun just to flip through. At the same time, there is enough science here (though well written for the layman) that it provides an intelligent, in-depth treatment of the subject. I recommend this to anyone in Indiana or nearby states; to anyone with an interest in mid-west geology; and to anyone with an interest in Indiana history and lore.

Given the sad present condition of the Episcopal Church in the USA, the publication of this book should not be surprising. The book is put forth by an Episcopal author as an alternative "prayer book" using "feminine images of God." Perhaps half of the text is unobjectionable, drawing on some Psalms and other Scriptures for readings. The Church Calendar (p. 102) is largely made up of Christian figures. But these orthodox citations are placed among a collection of non-Christian gods, feminist heroines and pagan conjectures, suggesting that all of them are equally valid. (Examples: January 14, 15, 22; February 4, 7, 9, 15, 19, etc. ad nauseum)

I take particular note of "A Rite To Redeem Eden's Goodness" (p. 164) and "A Ritual of Joining Two People Into A Covenant Relationship" (p. 160). The rite to "redeem" creates a complete substitute for the sacrifice of Jesus Body and Blood in the eucharist, re-enacting the eating of the "apple" that introduced sin to mankind. ("Taste and see that you are good" -- !!! p. 168) The "covenant joining" rite is written to avoid any limitation of the "two people" to a male-female marriage covenant.

An "alternative Lord's Prayer" by Jim Cotter is used repeatedly (p. 24, 30, 159, etc.). Cotter is a founder of a Gay and Lesbian Christian Movement in England (there is no identification of him offered in this book). The Lord's Prayer from Scripture is never used, presumably because it speaks of God only as a Father, and this book has a strident feminist agenda.

A new series of Collects (p. 166 ff) addresses God variously as "Heavenly Mother-Father," "Motherly Father," "Holy God of Inner Vision," "Mother Spirit," and in one case adopts a Muslim mystic's designation "God of the Beautiful Names." These are sprinkled among more orthodox titles, again suggesting they're all acceptable and appropriate - but also clearly shoving any unique Christian claims off the table.

Elsewhere the book offers prayers to Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess (p. 14), Arianrhod, the Moon Goddess of Wales (p. 24), the White Buffalo Calf Woman (p. 26), Pele, Goddess of Volcanoes (p. 40), Lilith (p. 45, "I was the first woman, created before Eve"), even to Thunder (p. 37) and Trees (p. 50)!!

This syncretistic embrace of any and all religions is made explicit (if you haven't gotten the point already) in a "Service of Reconciliation" (p. 175 ff) which includes prayer for "the followers of the religions of the world and for those with no religion" (p. 178) in which various cults and heretical sects, including wicca, are lauded for their contributions.

Finally someone published a book that is prayerful and inspirational and not dependent on all the male gender God references that get so tiresome. Buy this book and teach these prayers to your children and grandchildren.

Not to diminish any one area...but, it all speaks to me. There is nothing that Jane or Pat wrote that I did not feel God's presence in. The entire book is beautiful. It's filled with the Holy Spirit and it makes you want to come back and read more. It's a work of art that is aesthetically pleasing, spiritually uplifting, cultural,...and entertaining!!! Both Jane and Pat are very gifted writers and scholars! Thank you for your gift to society! You are both wonderful spiritual leaders!!!

I've shared this with friends, and used it for my morning quiet time. It's been a comfort, despite having more Mother God stuff than I'm used to. The prayers for women from so many different places and faiths are great.

One look at the Table of Contents of SHE WHO PRAYS: A WOMAN'S INTERFAITH PRAYER BOOK, and you know you're in for something quite different. The book is a collaboration between two very Spirit-filled women. This is no ordinary Prayer Book! Where, for instance, can you find prayers for 'Round People in Square Holes'? And the Weekly Collects written by Harris-Watkins are simply brilliant. However, to me, the truly astonishing quality of this Prayer Book are its depth of Spirituality, Mysticism, and Vision. The words coming out of the minds of these two women, and the way they have set them down on paper, have got to be Cosmically Inspired!

I judge a good book by the author's ability to captivate my attention and allow me to become immersed in the story. Surface is just that kind of novel and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading it.

The plot is hip and edgy and the cast of characters are widely diverse and extremely interesting. This book would make an excellent movie and I can only imagine the ensemble cast that could be put together. Hint, hint to any Hollywood movie execs. I'd definitely pay to see this one at the theater.

I also enjoyed the author's style of writing. It flows smoothly and was very easy to follow. I'm a fast reader and was able to finish the book over a long weekend. I had a hard time putting it down because of the never-ending excitement and anticipation that lurked around every corner of the story.

I can't wait to read more from the author, Brad Kash.

"Look beneath the 'SURFACE'; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee."(Marcus Aurelius Antoninus)
"SURFACE", the book, was a gift. A very rewarding gift. As I delved into the deepness of familiar names: Sasquatch, Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, a new awareness overcame me. Until now, these were just names in folklore, characters in movie houses. Now, I could go on a journey with Stefan and the others to places where I have never been - nor will ever be. What a trip it was.
It was obvious that the author had made the journey with his cast of characters...a journey into the minds of these "creatures." From the start the book was not fiction, not adventure, not heresay, was not many things...IT WAS REAL! So real that when the human cast of characters laughed, I laughed; when they cried, I cried; when they were scared, I, too, was scared; when they uncovered a long hidden secret, I helped them gather the pieces.
My horizon has been widened by reading "SURFACE" and I thank the author for sharing this gift with me.

An enthralling mystery. I couldn't put it down! Now if I could just find another book from this author... Highly recommended!

Brad Kash does an amazing job with this imaginative mystery. The book has great characters that lead you on a very intriguing journey. Once you get involved in the storyline it is hard to put the book down - you cannot wait to find out what the next adventure is and where it will lead Stefan Combes. With the recent popularity of reality based T.V. one can imagine this happening one day.

Surface keeps you guessing to the very end and beyond. This is a wonderfully creative book with all the right elements. If you have not read this book you are in for a real treat.

I waited for a long time to buy this book, and started reading it with much enthusiasm. During the first chapter, it became apparent that this was no Chrichton or Cussler. While the basic concept of the book was original, and highly thought-provoking, the basic fact remained that this book was badly written.

The main character is egotistical and hard to relate to. The heroine completely lacks any substance, and the villain is hollow and lacks any real character development. The book is far too short, only half the length of what I would expect a book like this to be. Because of its length, or vice versa, the book moves far too quickly, with the only character development happening between Stephen and Cynthia, which is tends toward the unrealistically romantic and overly sexual.

As Stephen moves from place to place over the globe, he leaves characters behind before you even get a chance to know them. And in the end, the book has you feeling more like you just read a novella, than a full-length novel.

...

I am an amateur Cryptozoologist [amatuer being the keyword], and I was fairly disappointed with the portrayal of Sasquach and the Loch Ness Monster, owing to how little you got to see of them, while Stephen goes off to the next adventure.

One scene at Loch Ness is particularly disturbing that was completely unnecessary and was a poor attempt at showing Stephen's sensitive side.

...

While I rarely write bad reviews, and am fairly easy to please, I had to ding "Surface." on these points because when I finished the book, I was left disappointed and feeling slightly ripped off. Being 19 and male, I hardly belong to the largest segment of avid and voracious readers. Being both, however, I cant say that I would recommend this book at all. If you want Adventure, read Clive Cussler, if you want Science Thriller, read Michael Crichton. If you want a... shelf-stuffer, get "Surface."

I have almost all the babysense products.I own 2 of their slings (beige/limited edition blue one),also their toddler sense book,their sleep sense book and of course the baby sense book.
My baby boy is 3 months old now and a lot of the info in this book has made me understand why my little boy start getting fussy(overstimulated),why he is sucking on his hands so hard(self soothing). I even used their 'Jungle Juice' recipe to help keep up my breast milk supply. It's delicious by the way.They address each age group specifically and tell you what you can expect. They teach you how to do sleep training too but I did not do that as I dont believe in sleep training.Very good book and very informative. The only thing that I also did not agree with is that they expect you to have your baby in his own bed and own room at 3 months which I think is way too early. They still need their mother's security at that age.I would defnitely buy this book again. Good Value.

Wow! I borrowed this book from a friend who kept talking about it. After reading 2 chapters I was on Amazon.com and got a copy for myself!
It is amazing how clearly and simply the book describes the SENSORY world as babies experience their new environment in the first year of their lives and what effect all those sensory input has on them. About how their immature nervous system is constantly trying to process ALL the information what they are subjected to - from the feel of their clothes on their skin to the temperature, the touch of your holding arms on their body to bright lights in the room and even the smell of all the visitors in the room! Things we take for granted, as our nervous system can filter it out - but they can NOT yet deal with...so we wondering WHY ARE THEY SCREAMING?? (it was also BRILLIANT to phrase from when the in-laws got carried away in their effort to entertain my little boy who wanted PEACE finally.)
I give this book to all my friends with new babies now! I think all new parents should be given this book on their way from the hospital (Or rather on the way in ....against all those early visitors who handle your baby around the room when you just want to get to know each other!)
Baby Sense

It is a FIVE STAR book and I recommend it with no hesitation to all new parents.

If you've read any other baby book then the info in this book will not be any different. It reminds me of a college essay - waste of time for me.

Baby sense is an exceptional guideline to the sensory well being of your new baby. The book serves as a step-by-step guide for new Moms to understand the sensory world of the infant, teaching you to see and interpret what your babies needs are. It has made my life as a first time Mom a breeze. The book covers all the important aspects of early baby rearing. I recommend this book to all moms who want to be able to understand their babies needs.

This was the first book I can remember loving. I'm not sure whether I memorised it from hearing it so much and went from there, but Budgie taught me how to read at the age of 3. Sadly I haven't read it since, but I highly recommend it to children as the characters are so easy to love!

My Granddaughter received this book for Christmas two years ago when she was two. She still enjoys hearing the stories about Budgie. It is a throughly enjoyable book for children. The video is great too. Wish there were more of them.

I bought this book because my 2 year old is in love with helicopters. I didn't bother reading past the first couple pages because I figured it had to be tame since the Duchess of York wrote it. I was wrong. The first few pages are fine, and then I found out what the story is about. A little girl is kidnapped and Budgie needs to help rescue her. There is even a picture of two men chasing after a little girl in pigtails. I stopped reading as soon as I realized what the story was about and deposited it straight in the trash. This book is inappropriate for children. Based on the pictures I just can't figure out what age group this would be appropriate for. I personally don't want to send my son to bed with nightmares.

Budgie: The Little Helicopter is wonderfully illustrated and catches the child's eye with all it's bright colors. The story is intriguing and my two children, 5 & 6 at the time (now 7 & 8) were totally absorbed by it. My son slept with the book for weeks.

Comparing / contrasting JES to the CLR, then Object Oriented to JCL...I love that! And it's so perfect and makes so much sense. This book is perfect as an introduction to the world of .NET for the Mainframe programmer.

I have written in a few books and hundreds of magazine articles, but I have always maintained I'm just a technology guy who writes. Clearly, Chris Richardson is a real writer. And his editor(s) have done a wonderful job. This book is written like a novel. Most technology books are written mostly as reference. This book makes for a very interesting read...especially for those of us with a mainframe background. After reading this book, the COBOL programmer has obtained enough foundation in .NET, related back to the world he/she is comfortable in (mainframes), to take the next step and dive into more generic .NET titles and some real .NET application programming.

For years my problem has been figuring out how to convert the fantastic amount of talent on the mainframe side of the world to the current technology set so that I can hire them. As everyone knows, this is a brutally tough transition and the learning curve is almost insurmountable. Well, this book is a must for the mainframe programmer who wants to learn application development in .NET and very entertaining for us old guys who love to look back at the way it was.

I really tried hard to get somthing out of this book. The author just wont sit still long enough to get to the point (show me how this works)... darting from one thought to another without finishing the original thought (except to say 'This is beyond the scope...', then offer some random comments completely off the mark). The book is comprehensive (about 1000 pages and 7-8 pounds), but not clearly written. I am sure the author knows what he is talking about, he just does not know how to include the reader into the process (except to refer to a hundred different places for 'clarification'). Maybe next time (if he bothers), he will write a much shorter book on the subject, keep his flittering comments and comical bursts to himself and concentrate on giving the reader something of value for the time and money invested in trying to learn something from this book. A big disappointment.

I bought "COBOL and Visual Basic on .NET" in order to learn VB.NET, but ended up receiving formal training through my employer before completing this 1,000 page book. Nevertheless, I constantly find myself referring to various chapters whenever my old COBOL brain has trouble understanding .NET and object oriented concepts.
Mr. Richardson's clear writing (despite his well-intentioned attempts at humor) and numerous examples make me very glad that I made the purchase. As long as COBOL and .NET exist, this book is a must-have for programmers like me. Speaking of existence, I bet that COBOL will be with us long after Mr. Gates pulls the plug on .NET.
If you are or have been a mainframe programmer and whether or not you know anything about .NET, you will be hard pressed to find a book as useful as this or one that is so well written.

Someone finally built a bridge to help mainframe programmers understand Windows and the Windows programming arena. While this book targets the mainframe COBOL programmer, it is none-the-less and good reference for those of us who have worked in the Windows arena, specifically .NET.

Chris dove into the .NET Framework with the understanding that after having rad his book you would have a good general understanding of .NET, not an indepth, "let's drown'em with a firehose" manual. Chris provided me with enough information to enable me to learn about the Framework, COBOL and areas where additional information could be found. If I wanted to read further I knew where to look. Chris's style was witty, funny and kept me entertained while I learned.

The .NET Framework is a huge undertaking in programming. With over 5,000 namespaces Chris covered the essentials to getting going in the Framework, giving the reader enough knowledge to reduce his/her search times and find the information in the Microsoft help files they may need.

A good read for anyone starting out in the .NET COBOL environment.

Completely worthless!! This book did nothing but confuse and disturb me. Its circuitous proofs groan under the weight of their own self-indulgence. Wonderful for kindling but useful for little else. Save yourself the agony of reading this terrible terrible piece.

I have taught pre-first, first, second and fifth. This book has been a super resource over the past 16 years. It is most helpfull at the primary level, but I did use it in 5th grade on occasion. I am now back in second grade. My room had some water damage over the summer and this book is one of the resources I lost. I can't wait to replace it. It helps you introduce all the basic skills at any level. I also find it very user friendly. It has a table of contents by grade level and by skill. It is a staple in my school bag.

This is an excellent, if not essential teacher resource for teaching math concepts to young children. As a first grade teacher whose school system is on its third mandated math curriculum in 10 years, Richardson is my life line. Her text informs clearly and concisely the process of concept development in young children. Ways to effectively observe and assess students are excellent and included in each chapter. Activities and lessons are easy to implement, often open ended, engaging, and fun.

This book is excellent for kindergarten and first grade teachers. It's become my math bible. I use it in the beginning of the year more than the school district adopted math textbook. If you ever have an opportunity to take a workshop from Kathy Richardson, go for it. You'll get more from the book after attending one of her workshops.

Dust in the Wind shows the difficult times and conditions of the 1930's dust bowl. It was a rather "dull" subject put in to such great words and meaning. Donald Richardson is clearly an excellent writer. "The best writer is one who can say so much in so few words."

This story is an absolute failure by an over confident english professor that should not be teaching let alone writing. Don't spend the time or the money on the book. The only reason I read it was the fact that it was assigned by the author himself.

The delightful written memoir Dust in the Wind is a looking back to the difficult time of the thirties. The narrator, Ben, a humble man in his seventies, gives the reader in streams of thoughts recollected moments of his life as a poor boy on a farm in Kansas. The terrible drought is remembered as living dust, breathing dust, eating dust. The reader feels the sand in mouth and clothes, too, when Ben is talking about it. Dust is flying through the air, is sitting on everything inside and outside the house; it covers the plants in the garden and the food in the kitchen. Dust penetrates the clothes, the bodies, the lungs, and the souls. The dust pesters and plagues the people of Kansas, if they don't move away, until they are dust themselves. Ben is wondering, sitting between Pa and Ma at the funeral of a neighbor why the priest thinks that the dead body of Isaiah Jacobs comes and goes from "ashes to ashes and dust to dust" (76) instead of cleaning him of the dust on his way to eternal life? The reader understands why the grown-up Ben later never liked an automatic dishwasher. Ben has to restore "balance to life by making things clean all over again" (67). And the reader accepts that Ben, or the author, never ever in their lives liked to have dirty hands. The author talks about dirt, dust, and dry land. He describes the children's hated, ugly-looking, patched clothes, and tells that the drought makes the struggling farmers poor and plain. However, the language of this descriptive writing is rich, fresh, and poetical as the "green wheat rippling in the spring breezes" (4). Richardson's style is exactly right for today's fast-living time. The sentences are short and easy to read, especially for the young students who like to race through a book quickly. Nevertheless, his simple style produces an emotionally engaging effect as if dictated from life itself with its sad, yet often, too, comical circumstances. The author has a special way of describing humorously situations poor people experience at difficult times. This makes the book not melancholy but very entertaining. For example, Ben compares the cruelty of children with the cannibalistic behavior of the chicks. Ben has to smear "axle grease" (39) on the spots of blood baby chicks to prevent others from pecking at them. Catching the little chicks, he wishes he had "people grease" (39) to cover his own vulnerable spots of poverty. But Ben knows if there were such grease available the family "couldn't have paid for it" (39). Because the younger generation cannot really know how people could live without running water or toilets inside the house, without television and all the requirements for the household including a washer and dryer, it is highly recommended that they read books like Dust in the Wind. They would learn that people had different values at that time, especially in families such as the author describes. When Ben talks about "Pa's dignity" (34), or when he remembers his selflessly caring mother, the readers recognize the respect and honor of the boy for his parents. Additionally, father and mother were so involved trying to survive, to feed, dress, and raise the children to become responsible persons, that there was no time for boredom or depression as in today's satiated society. The author lets the readers know how harmony by working and singing together under a dim kitchen lamp gave courage and "held the drought, the debtors, and the dust storms at bay" (65). Only decent, thankful, sometimes "reticent" (27) personalities could develop out of such an environment. As the author says, the rabbit drive gives the story its climax. The maturity Ben receives through the horrifying butchery of defenseless animals, the awareness of the boy that he is responsible for others, and the connection the author makes with the "killing and bloodshed " (98) in World War II, is well balanced and brought together in first-rate writing. I sincerely hope that one day the world will see the author's other mentioned manuscripts finished and published as books.

In order to understand oneself in the present, to make sound preparation for the future, it is important to understand our place in history. Donald J. Richardson demonstrates this eloquently in his fictionalized story about the struggle, desperation, and poverty of farming life during the 1930's and the devastating effects of what was then referred to as the "dust bowl" of the United States. This poignant, moving story is told through the eyes of Ben, the twelve-year-old son of a Kansas farmer, and through a delightful narrative of Ben as an adult in reflection of humanity--his own and those about him. This story of life on the farm, injected by Richardson's own experience, presents vivid and clear images that contribute to the story's momentum. The rabbit drive in the story is the highlight and climax, told with beautiful imagery and an exceptional narrative. Donald J. Richardson has captured an important event in history with a style distinctively his own.